ONSETCOLD have released their new single and video, “The Gates of Hell Are in Heaven”, through Wormholedeath. The nearly eight-minute track features vocals from Seiza Friedrich and Shaq, revisiting ideas from the 2020 project “Death Blast” while connecting them with the band’s 2025 album, “Apocalyptic Sleep”.
A prelude set 3,000 years ago
Set 3,000 years in the past, the song explores what ONSETCOLD describe as the demonic resonance of the human condition. The band presents it as a prelude to “Apocalyptic Sleep”, using earlier material as the starting point for a renewed and experimental direction.
The production is central to that approach. In several passages, Shaq converted a MIDI keyboard into audio and used it in place of guitars, creating unusual performance patterns that would be difficult to reproduce naturally with traditional instruments. Shaq also recorded the single, performed its instrumentation, mixed and mastered it, and created the cover artwork, an oil painting titled The Death of Art.
From Death Blast to “Apocalyptic Sleep”
ONSETCOLD are an extreme metal project from Northwich, Cheshire, formed in 2003. Their catalogue includes the full-length releases “Onsetcold”, “Arte Destroyer”, “Noam Chomsky” and “Apocalyptic Sleep”, as well as the 2020 release “Death Blast”. The 2025 album developed the project’s combination of black-metal atmosphere, death-metal aggression, symphonic scale and unexpected electronic influences across ten movements.
Seiza Friedrich on vocals
Seiza Friedrich is the project’s vocalist and sings on “The Gates of Hell Are in Heaven” alongside Shaq. Her vocals form part of the latest release’s extreme and experimental approach. She is listed in the current line-up with Shaq, who performs vocals and all instruments.
